Are you giving up your family doctor for the urgent care center? — NJ poll

A new Rutgers Eagleton Poll on healthcare preferences finds urgent care emerging in popularity. But the family doctor is still No. 1.

The poll, done in partnership with the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute, showed urgent care is used by 3 percent of respondents all of the time and 46 percent of those polled some of the time.

"I think that urgent care is still an emerging care option, and we see millennials really embracing and being comfortable with this option," Eagleton polling director Ashley Koning said.

"When it comes to urgent care, specifically when New Jerseyans are told about benefits like less wait time, more time visiting a health care professional at an urgent care facility, and even spending less, it really encourages New Jerseyans to say that they would be more likely to visit an urgent care than going to a hospital ER."

About 57 percent of those polled still are more likely to go to a private doctor than any other option.

"The private physician is really the one source of care for New Jerseyans right now." She says that poll result is "really not a surprise here."

Very few in the poll say that they actually go to a community health center or clinic (5 percent). And very few also say that they go to a walk-in clinic or a retail store — 4 percent say all of the time, and 18 percent say some of the time.

"Of course, these all differ by demographics like gender, race, age and other socioeconomic factors."

About 8 percent of those in the poll responded that they go to an ER for care "all of the time."

Joe Cutter is the afternoon news anchor on New Jersey 101.5. Contact him at Joe.Cutter@townsquaremedia.com